Kuper
Dutch surname meaning "cooper" - a maker of wooden casks and barrels.
Name Census estimates that about 109 living Americans carry the first name Kuper. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kuper today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kuper births was 2009 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kuper. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
109
~ 1 in 3,144,535 Americans
Peak year
2009
15 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2019 SSA rank
#11,555
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Kuper: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kuper from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 56 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kuper by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kuper during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kuper
The given name Kuper is believed to have its origins in the Dutch language, tracing back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old Dutch word "koper," which means "copper" or "copper-worker." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for those involved in the copper trade or metalworking industry.
In the Netherlands and parts of Germany, the name Kuper was commonly used during the 12th to 15th centuries, particularly among the working class and artisan communities. It was often associated with families or individuals involved in the production or trade of copper goods, such as utensils, tools, and decorative items.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Kuper was Johannes Kuper, a Dutch metalsmith who lived in the city of Leiden in the late 15th century. Historical records indicate that he was a respected craftsman and contributed to the creation of intricate copper works for churches and wealthy patrons.
Another notable figure was Pieter Kuper, a Dutch explorer and navigator who embarked on several voyages to the East Indies in the early 17th century. He played a role in establishing trade routes and colonial outposts for the Dutch East India Company.
In the realm of arts and literature, Kuper van der Goen was a renowned Dutch painter who lived during the 16th century. His works, primarily depicting religious scenes and portraits, can be found in various museums and collections across Europe.
During the 19th century, the name Kuper gained popularity among German-speaking communities. One prominent individual was Karl Kuper, a German philosopher and intellectual who was born in 1828 and made significant contributions to the fields of ethics and metaphysics.
Lastly, in the 20th century, Kuper was the given name of Dutch-American author and illustrator Peter Kuper, born in 1958. He is best known for his graphic novels and comic book series that explore social and political themes.
While the name Kuper is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the cultural heritage in the Netherlands and Germany, reflecting the rich history of metalworking and craftsmanship in these regions.
People
Kuper + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kuper as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kuper: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kuper?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 109 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kuper going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 3,144,535 US residents.
Is Kuper a common name?
We classify Kuper as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 110 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kuper most popular?
The single biggest year for Kuper was 2009, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kuper is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kuper in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kuper a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kuper in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Kuper still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kuper in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kuper can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Kuper?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Kuper at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.